Police Officer Praised for Killing Angry Bear

A police officer who killed an angry brown bear with a Kalashnikov rifle will receive a commendation for his heroism, Irkutsk region police said in a statement.

"The regional police administration regards the actions of district police officer Lieutenant Sergei Kazantsev, who neutralized a wild bear, to be skillful and professional," the statement said.

Kazantsev shot dead the bear after it attacked two locals near the Chyornaya River in the Irkutsk region on May 9, Victory Day. One of the locals escaped and informed police, who sent out a search party led by Kazantsev.

After following a trail of blood, the search party found the dead body of the missing man, but when they tried to examine his corpse, the enraged bear attacked the group from a nearby hideout.

Kazantsev then sprang into life, killing the charging bear with several shots from Kalashnikov assault rifle. "Having assessed the situation, I took out my standard-issue rifle and shot at the fast-approaching bear," the statement cited Kazantsev as saying.